


My Perfect World

by teal_bandit



Category: Avengers (Comics), Marvel (Comics)
Genre: Depression, Gen, Guilt, Language, Post M-Day, Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-02
Updated: 2019-01-02
Packaged: 2019-10-03 03:41:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17276417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teal_bandit/pseuds/teal_bandit
Summary: Pietro and Wanda have a talk about Wanda's re-created reality; namely what Pietro would have wanted out of a world where he could have been perfectly happy.





	My Perfect World

It had been a long fucking day.

No, make that a long month– or several months; Pietro wasn’t really sure. His powers manifested themselves in a way that made it nearly impossible to gauge the passage of time.

He’d been absolutely useless during the Avengers’ last call; between evacuating citizens and being trapped in whatever cement-like secretion was oozing out of their adversary, there was no way he could offer any kind of help. In the end, Voodoo’s and his sister’s magic was what defeated the threat. Rogue thanked him for getting the citizens to safety, but Pietro couldn’t shake the feeling that she–as well as probably over half of the team–thought he was more of a burden than anything else. Even Emily, though she was always understanding and supportive of him, probably thought he dragged the team down. ‘That’s ridiculous, Mateo,’ Pietro thought to himself, using the name his adopted parents used to get his attention. He mentally chastised himself for thinking so little of his teammate. 'You’re the one who feels useless, it doesn’t mean that’s what she thinks of you.’

To make matters worse, Wanda was back to acting like she couldn’t stand to be around him, even though to the best of his knowledge he hadn’t done anything wrong. He thought they were maybe finally past the hurt he’d caused by manipulating her into changing reality. Perhaps he was wrong. It all ended up with an argument between them about his supposed apathy to her situation.

“You don’t know what it’s like to try so hard to overcome your sins and never be forgiven for them,” she claimed. “I’ll never  _not_ be known as the woman who nearly killed the mutant genome.”

Pietro stared at her blankly–numbly–not really saying anything at first. “No,” he finally said, lowly, “I’m just going to be known for the rest of my life as the man who manipulated his sister into rewriting the whole world and killing the mutant genome, and who killed innocent people trying to restore their powers afterward. Like somehow you reshaping the universe benefited me.

"The only reason I convinced you to change things was to keep you safe. I was keeping my promise to our parents because I loved them and because I love you. Everyone else got everything they wanted. The only reason I accepted that reality is because you were safe and happy; you had your children and husband, our family was together, and mutants weren’t being horribly oppressed.

"Do you know what I wanted, Wanda? In my perfect world? Our parents back. I wanted them alive. I wanted to grow up in our camp and get married to a nice little Rroma girl. Have a family–a big family. With children of my own that I could love and provide for the way Django loved and provided for us. I wanted to make my living as a carpenter the way he had and tell his grandchildren all the stories he told me. I wanted to be able to come together with my family–the ones who loved me, not a bunch of strangers– on weekend nights and stay up talking with them until dawn. I wanted to grow up into a man Mama and Tati would be proud of.”

Pietro sank, running his hand through his hair tiredly. “I wasn’t any of that. Not in your so-called perfect world or now.” He felt hot tears stinging at the bottom of his eyes. He felt angry and hurt and drained.

“Pietro,” Wanda whispered, voice cracked. “I– I’m so sorry…” And she was. She could see and feel her brother’s excessive frustration and guilt, like a tidal wave crashing over his mind, drowning what little confidence and pride he has in himself as a person. All that arrogance and haughtiness, she knew from years of watching him, was a facade– an act to trick people into believing that he’s everything he doesn’t think he is.

But she knows better. And she’s actually paying enough attention to recognize what’s really there.

 

 


End file.
